The Roaring 420s Interview

I had the chance to get a quick interview with Florian of the The Roaring 420s, a psych/garage band from Dresden, Germany. This band blew me away as they mix early surf rock with psychedelic aspects. It is so hard to find band that can crack this style and play it so well you think you are hearing a group from the 60s.

First of all, your band name is great. How did you all come up with it?

I don’t know, it’s a pun on the name of a strip club in San Francisco.

How did you all meet?

Martin and I have known each other for years but we never decided to make up a band since we had both been engaged in different projects at the time. We had met Lulu in an art factory where we’ve been attending a poetry reading and she was practicing drums in the basement. We talked and decided to make up a band right away.

What is the music scene like in Dresden?

It’s a very good place for bands. Lots of young people move into the city, they become musicians, found labels, create monthly events and promote their friends acts. It’s like Berlin without cocaine.

Who are the biggest influences on your sound?

I think we share a fondness of the Velvet Underground and the 13th Floor Elevators. Aside from them maybe also the Beach Boys, Link Wray or that obscure west coast psych and garage stuff. There are also many bands these days that have blown our minds as well, bands like The Growlers, White Fence, Strange Boys, Night Beats… hard to tell…

If you could only listen to 3 albums for the rest of your life what would they be?

If you could listen to only three albums for the rest of your life you’re probably part of a strange military experiment that includes being forced to listen to only three albums for the rest of your life. So, since you’re fucked anyway, John Cage would be nice, I guess…

When can we expect you to play in the US?

We’d love to come over as soon as possible. We’re actually planning on playing in the US next year but we’ll have to work out a few things first. But don’t worry, sooner or later we will also end up on your couch.

If you could play a show with any current band and any band that has broken up (living or dead), who would they be?

We will actually be touring with a band that is alive and is called The Blank Tapes, a surfy, psychedelic, very wonderful folk rock group from Los Angeles that happened to visit Dresden a couple of years ago. So far, we’ve set up shows in Germany, France & Switzerland scheduled for fall this year.